I wanted to do something new, go somewhere different. But where? I had absolutely no idea how to decide. I walked out the front doors of my school. My mind took me to the bus loop, where there were hundreds of students crowding on to go home. Maybe I could get away with sneaking onto a random bus and getting off one of the stops. Of course, I would be lost. But somewhere different nonetheless. The only thing is, which bus? I waved my away around the students and read the numbers on the bus. 154, 23, 84, 79, 182, etc, etc. For some reason, 23 just called me. Jewlia, Jewlia I could almost hear. I shrugged and waited in line to get on. When I was next, I climbed the stairs. A grouchy, old bus driver looked me up and down.
"Bus pass?" He asked in a hoarse, deep voice. I panicked. What do I say?
"I'm new here. Don't have one yet." I replied. The bus driver hesitated, but soon nodded.
"Row 17."
I nodded and walked past all the people laughing and making jokes with their friends. Once I got to row 17, I was happy to see that it was empty. I threw my backpack in the corner and sat down. The bus was so full, and it was inevitable that someone else would be assigned to row 17 as well. I sighed, put my backpack on my lap, and scooted over to the window seat. Soon after, a kid with a baggie hoodie and a camouflage backpack. He looked at the numbers above the seats.
"17?" I asked. He nodded. He sat down next to me and immediately got out his phone. I could just about see what he was doing, so I decided to watch him, as I had nothing else to do. He was writing. He used a minuscule text, so I couldn't read it without my glasses. Which, ever so conveniently, had been cracked the day before. I decided to give up. Instead, I watched the window as students were running by, hoping not to miss the bus.
I had time to turn back. I could have stood up, right then and there, and walked off the bus. I could have told the grumpy bus driver that it was all a joke and that it won't happen again. But there was something exciting. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, and I was so excited. I was escaping. Escaping the same daily routine, walking home from school, eating a banana, and doing homework. I was free to do anything. And it felt good. So I didn't get up, or tell the truth to the bus driver. I stayed put. That decision, it changed my life.
